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| Dr. Patrick Lake, instructor of classics |
The classics department is, strictly speaking, a "language" department offering elementary and advanced courses in Latin and Greek for the successful fulfillment of The Hill School language requirement. Moreover, the department is keenly aware that these two languages constitute the verbal repository and mirror of two important civilizations that have had a profound influence upon our own Western culture. To guide the student to experience language in its cultural context is the primary mission of the department. Through our extensive technological resources and our long-standing tradition of academic excellence, courses at all levels are tailored to bring into sharp relief the debt we owe to our past.
At the beginning levels, importance is placed on developing the habits of accurate analysis and understanding the fundamentals of morphology, syntax, and vocabulary. As the student progresses through readings, increasingly less adapted until original texts can be read, the emphasis shifts to a cultural assessment of historical and social contexts together with an appreciation of literary styles and themes. We endeavor to develop skills of clear thinking, memory, analysis, understanding, and self-expression. Ideally these skills lead ultimately to the plausible and justified interpretations of classical literature and to an awareness of their relevance to the human condition in our own time.
Read about how technology plays an important role in teaching Classics at The Hill.
View a video about the Classics Department teachers (0:54 seconds)
View a video about the Classics program at The Hill (3:27 minutes)
(You will need Windows Media Player 9.0 to view these clips.)